Written
Comm ex Verbal Non -
verbal
1. Face
to
face
Communication Examples
1. Face-to-Face (Verbal Communication) – As old as humans, face-to-
face verbal communication occurs every day of our lives. Any time we
chat to someone in-person, we’re engaging in the most common and
even intimate types of communication there is. Nearly everyone has this
communication skill.
2. Written Text (Written Communication) – Writing emerged 5,500
years ago in Iraq (known then as ‘Mesopotamia’) and ever since,
societies have formulated ways to communicate in written form. We see
writing all around us. Walk into a shop and there will be text telling you
where to line up, how much the products cost, and what ingredients they
contain.
3. Books and Newspapers (Written Communication) – The rise of the
printing press in the 1500s led to the proliferation of books and
newspapers. For the first time, there was a way to spread the exact
same information to the masses. Before then, communication was like
one big game of telephone. Benedict Anderson (1983) also credits the
rise of the printing press as the impetus for nationalism because people
across a nation could now consume the same news daily.
4. Radio Communication (Verbal Communication) – The rise of the
transistor radio toward the beginning of the 20th Century allowed
publishers and governments to communicate instantaneously to a huge
audience. Today, radio is still a vital tool during national disasters to
spread important information as fast as possible.
5. Morse Code (Mathematical Communication) – Before we mastered
recording the human voice for radio broadcast, we used morse code.
Operators needed to be able to translate the long and short taps to
decipher urgent messages during times of war.
6. Telephone Communication (Verbal Communication) – The
telephone (still important today!) enabled us to communicate in real-time
with one another across long distances. And unlike radio, it was a means
of two-way communication. For the first time, people were able to hear
one another’s voices in real time and have conversations despite the
tyranny of distance.
7. Homing Pigeon (Written Communication) – Yep, that’s
communication, too! And as long as 3000 years ago, people would
leverage the remarkable ability of messenger pigeons to find their way
home to send messages. People would take the pigeons on journeys
then release them (with a message tied around their leg) and they would
find their way home. Famously, they were often used to report the
winners of the Ancient Olympics across Europe.
8. Post (Written Communication) – There was once a time when the
post was used regularly as a means of communication. People would
send letters to one another with updates on their lives. We still send mail
by post to this day, although it saw a rapid decline in the late 20th Century
after the introduction of email. Nevertheless, it has seen a strong
resurgence in recent years thanks to the rise of online storefronts like
Amazon who use the post to send items to your doorstep.
9. Greeting Cards (Written Communication) – The tradition of sending
greeting cards dates back to a time when telephone communication was
too expensive for the masses. But still today, we’ll send greeting card on
birthdays and Christmas to our loved ones with a kind message of well-
wishes inside.
10. Sending Flowers (Non-Verbal Communication) – Flowers have
long been used to communicate a message: be it love, condolences, or
even an apology. Today, a man might send his wife roses for their
anniversary. Or, someone who lost a loved one might receive flowers as
a sign that you’re thinking about them and you want them to know you
care.
11. Videoconference (Verbal Communication) – Today, video calls
are incredibly common. We will use the cameras on our phones to talk to
one another. Or, for work purposes, we might use our webcams to have
a conference with colleagues across the other side of the country. With
videoconferencing, people can now even work from the comfort of their
own home!
12. Sign Language (Non-Verbal Communication) – Sign language is
a form of communication for the deaf. It allows them to talk despite the
inability to hear. Did you know that sign languages are very complex,
and in fact there are many different sign languages that are a different
as German and English! For example, Britain, the United States, and
Australia all have their own distinct sign languages.
13. Gestures (Non-Verbal Communication) – Gestures aren’t as
complex as sign language but they’re much more universally
understood. A point, a wave, or a shaking fist all act as almost universal
gestures to show happiness, a greeting, or anger! Some cultures also
have their own gestures; for example, showing the bottom of your feet is
very rude in some cultures and not-so-rude in others.
14. Body Language (Non-Verbal Communication) – Body language is
more subtle than gestures but still a powerful way to communicate. It
could be as simple as posture (an exhausted or sad person would be
slumped over) or an upbeat walk to communicate you’re positive and
ready for the day.
15. Facial Expressions (Non-Verbal Communication) – In just about
every culture, we know that a smile communicates happiness and
goodwill while a furrowed brow symbolizes anger.
16. Symbols (Written Communication) – While we have written
language to communicate sentences, but we also have symbol symbols
throughout society to communicate simple ideas. For example, a red
octagon communicates the message to ‘Stop!’ while an arrow
communicates directionality.
17. Text Messaging (Written Communication) – Text messaging
emerged as a popular form of communication for youths when cell
phones became popular in the 1990s. It’s an effective way to send quick
snippets of information to anyone, any time. Today, text messaging is
becoming less common thanks to instant messenger data apps like
Whatsapp and Facebook Messenger.
18. Emojis (Visual Communication) – With the rise of intstant
messaging, a new form of symbolic representation emerged: the emoji.
Starting with smiley faces, this grew to a who array of facial expressions
and other iconography used to add expression to instant messages
online.
19. Fax (Written Communication) – During the 20th century, prior to the
internet, fax was a fast way for businesses to send documents to one
another. But nowadays, it’s a generally outdated form of communication.
Today, what we once would have sent via fax is now sent via email –
this is just one of the many pros of the internet.
20. Email (Written Communication) – Email emerged in the early
1990s and rapidly overtook post (‘snail mail’) as a preferred form of
communication for businesses. Today, a lot of the communication we
used to get via post now arrive by email – everything from newsletters to
invoices to legal documents!
21. Computer Programming Languages
(Mathematical Communication) – You might not first think of computer
programming as a means of communication because you don’t see it
taking place. But behind everything we do using computer-based
communication technology is a network of programming languages that
bundle together information and use it to execute commands on a
computer. Common programming
22. Blogging (Written Communication) – Blogging is an example of
‘new media’, a form of media that is characterized by instantaneous
feedback loops and the ability of anyone to publish to a broad audience.
A blog is simply a website (like the one you’re reading now!) where
people can publish information online for anyone with an internet
connection to access.
23. Twitter (Written Communication) – Building on both text
messaging and blogging, twitter requires you to make short online posts
that don’t go out to one person, but to all of your followers. A person can
tweet something that ‘goes viral’ and before you know it your tweet has
been seen by millions of people!
24. Internet Chat (Written Communication) – Text message was
rapidly overcome by internet chat, which was cheaper and offered more
features like the use of emojis and memes. Today, some of the most
popular internet chat platforms are Instagram,
25. Social Media (Written Communication) – Social media are
platforms where you can upload a social profile, add friends, post
messages and images, and create an online identity. Social media have
gone through many iterations, from MySpace to Facebook to Instagram
to more!
26. Touch (Non-Verbal Communication) – Known as one of the five
love languages, gentle touch can communicate affection and care for
someone. A hug, a handshake, or a pat on the back all communicate
without the use of language.
27. Gift Giving (Non-Verbal Communication) – Giving gifts, another
one of the five love languages, is a way to communicate your affection or
gratitude to someone. You might give a gift to a teacher as a message of
thanks to your teacher or a gift to your son or daughter for their birthday
to celebrate their life.
28. Sound Signals (Non-Verbal Communication) – Sound signals are
signs you might make that don’t constitute language, but still do
communicate a message. An example might be making a whistling
sound to get attention or applause to show appreciation for something
(or that you’re impressed by it!)
29. Eye Contact (Non-Verbal Communication) – Eye contact is an
interesting way to communicate because it has a different meaning
depending on the culture. In the West, we often see eye contact as a
sign of respect. But in some cultures like some Aboriginal Australians,
eye contact is seen as a sign of defiance.
30. Tone of Voice (Verbal Communication) – You communicate not
only by what you say but how you say it. You can have an angry,
sarcastic, enthusiastic, or even bored tone of voice, and this all impacts
how people receive your messages.
31. Silence and Avoidance – Even silence is an example of
communication. Long silences can communicate discomfort, anxiety, or
even simmering anger. Not talking to a friend for several weeks might
show them that you’re unhappy with them for something.
32. Active Listening (Non-Verbal Communication) – We don’t often
think of listening as an example of communication, but through active
listening we can communicate our interest and engagement in what
someone is saying. Other strategies such as mirroring what someone is
saying and nodding along can all communicate your thoughts while
listening to others.
33. Art (Visual Communication) – Communication through art is older
than homosapiens! Anthropologists have found artworks from
Maltravieso cave (in Cáceres, Spain) that is 64,000 years old. Today,
many people collect, interpret, and critique the messages embedded in
artworks.
34. Tables and Graphs (Visual Communication) – Tables, graphs,
and infographics are some of the fastest and most visually appealing
ways to communicate information. While the written word can be a great
communicator, sometimes we need a table or graph to really
demonstrate relationships between things we’re looking at.
35. Quality Time – Spending quality time with someone is a way to
communicate. It demonstrates that we love someone and care about
them. A date night with your wife, a phone call to your mother, or an
afternoon with your daughter will send a message that you love them.
36. Tattoos and Body Piercings (Visual Communication) – We
communicate about our identities through body art. Stereotypically, we
might consider a big muscly man with a lot of tattoos to be seen as a
threat. But tattoos have their own personal meanings to everyone with
tattoo art, including potential cultural meanings (such as with the New
Zealand Maori).
37. Dance (Visual Communication) – Yes, we communicate through
dance! In fact, people who choreograph dances usually attempt to
communicate a message in their routine. It might be a simple message
(such as a College football cheer communicating enthusiasm) or a
complex message such as in Russian Ballet.
38. Advertising – The most common ways for brands to communicate
with us is through advertising. This can be on television, the internet
(they’re doing it on this very page!), or even billboards on the side of the
road.
39. Skywriting (Written Communication) – It’s an incredibly world we
live in where people can literally write messages in the sky. You might
see a brand advertising their brand name, or someone writing “Marry
Me, Anne?” in the sky.
40. Music (Non-Verbal Communication) – Music is one of the most
powerful communication forms. Next time you watch a television show,
listen for the music and sound effects. They tell a story – the music is
selected to convey suspense, joy, sadness, or other emotions that mirror
the scene.
41. Memes (Visual Communication) – Memes are the natural
progression from Emojis. Now, when using online chat, instead of just
providing a small smiley face, you can insert a short GIF (often of a
quote from your favorite show!) expressing your emotions.
Conclusion
Communication is all around us. Just about anything we do
communicates some sort of message. And while there are generally just
four types of communication, we can break those types down into
countless examples. These are just 41 of the thousands of different
ways we can communicate every day of our lives.